Quote Originally Posted by tytbody View Post
Please explain how the Top Tube effects a fit. I don't want a bike with the Top Tube. I prefer the walk through as that's what I'm used to and, I have been told I also have a short torso and long legs.. I don't dismount probably effectively and that top tube hits my tulips and that's not good. So I prefer no tube in the middle.

Glad to read your excitement about a new bike. I'm a beginner but I'm here to learn.
It's not the existence of the top-tube that affects the fit. Really, the top tube length (or effective top tube, for bikes with a sloping top tube)--from the center of the seatpost extension to the center of the head tube (or thereabouts, depending on manufacturer)--is an incomplete shorthand way of saying "reach". I say incomplete because there are plenty of other things that affect reach--seat tube angle, stem length, handlebar type, seatpost setback. However, with the exception of the seat tube angle, these can all be changed to one degree or another.

If you're short-torso'ed like me, the effective top tube length (combined with seat tube angle) is often a more limiting factor in the size of bike you take than is the stand-over height. For example, based on leg length alone, I take a 54cm or even a 56cm road bike frame. But because my torso is so short, a 50cm (for a unisex bike), 52-54cm women-specific--all depending on the bike and manufacturer--are often better fits.